Australian Open 2024: Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka defends Title, overpowers Zheng in final

Australian Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka cemented her place among the elite of women's tennis on Saturday by successfully defending her Australian Open title with a ruthless 6-3, 6-2 dismantling of China's Zheng Qinwen. The Belarusian world number two's victory is the first successful women's title defense at the tournament in over a decade. Her compatriot Victoria Azarenka achieved the feat in 2013.

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Sabalenka's performance was a masterclass in power and poise. For the second tournament in a row, she stormed through the draw without dropping a set that has propelled her to the semi-finals in her past six Grand Slams, where she claimed two titles to her name. 

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The Belarusian overwhelmed Zheng with her relentless strikes. Her crushing groundstrokes found both corners of the court with brutal precision, while her serve remained a consistent weapon throughout the match. Zheng, who had reached her first Grand Slam final after benefiting from a favorable draw found herself completely outgunned and unable to cope with Sabalenka's firepower.

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High voltage clash of Aryna Sabalenka and Qinwen Zheng

As the game began, Sabalenka quickly grabbed the initiative, breaking Zheng's opening serve and consolidating a 3-0 lead. Although Zheng showed the fight and saved three break points. Further, she claimed her first game on serve, she struggled to return Sabalenka's booming deliveries and build any sustained pressure. The Belarusian closed out the first set in dominant fashion after just 33 minutes.

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The second set started in a similar vein. Double faults and unforced errors from Zheng, coupled with Sabalenka's continued aggression, resulted in another early break for the Belarusian. From there, it was a procession to the finish line. Despite saving four championship points, Zheng was ultimately swept aside as Sabalenka secured her 14th career title and recorded her name as the first woman to reclaim the Australian Open since 2013.

What Aryna Sabalenka said after clinching the title?

After winning the game, Sabalenka said, "It's enough pressure on the court, and off the court, we're just trying to keep it simple, keep it fun, and make sure that all of us enjoy the process."

She also said, "So I feel like, because before I was watching all these champions crying after each Slam, I was, like, come on, you've done it, like, 15 times," Aryna Sabalenka said. "Why are you still crying? Right now, I didn't even get to that point, but I feel like I understand why they still crying," she added.